Carlisle and Christy Bannister, the founders of Supper Club. Photo credit: supperclubmarket.com.

By Anna Grace Shaia

Supper Club, founded by Carlisle Bannister and Christy Dobrucky (now Bannister), is a local neighborhood market in Tuckahoe Shopping Center. Supper club opened in late May, with a soft opening, and had its grand opening on June 4.  

Carlisle and Christy met at Upper Shirley Vineyards, where Carlisle was the executive chef and operator. When COVID-19 first started, Upper Shirley Vineyards was closed, and Carlisle began making dinners out of his kitchen at home for friends, family, and neighbors, with the help of his wife Christy. When COVID-19 began to settle down, they decided to open Supper Club. 

Supper Club sells many different foods, such as pre-made dinners, quick grab-and-go snacks, and different types of desserts. When walking into the store, you are greeted with excited, smiling faces, a welcoming feeling, and an ambrosial smell. When walking around the store, I chose a few different foods to try: fried chicken, ham biscuits, chicken salad, and cookies. 

Supper Club’s fried chicken. Photo credit: Anna Grace Shaia.

When you walk into the store, immediately to your right is a kiosk to order Supper Club’s famous hand-breaded fried chicken. During the short, five-minute drive back to my house, the smell of delicious, warm fried chicken filled my car. Back home, I sat down at the kitchen table and opened up the box of chicken and potato wedges. When I saw the golden brown chicken tenders, I was excited to take a bite. The chicken was filled with flavor, and it had the perfect amount of breading. The chicken had a juicy, salty, mouthwatering flavor. The potato wedges were perfectly crispy on the outside with a warm inside, but the seasoning on the potato wedges was not consistent. Each potato had a different amount of seasoning, causing some potatoes to be overpowered by seasoning. I believe that this fried chicken is some of the best in Richmond and would rate it a 10/10. On the other hand, the potatoes wedges come out to a 7.5/10.

Supper Club’s Hawaiian ham and swiss sliders. Photo credit: Anna Grace Shaia.

Next, I tried the ham biscuits. In the store, there are two different types of ham biscuits to choose from: sweet ham on a Hawaiian roll with swiss cheese and a buttery glaze, or salty Edward’s country ham on a buttery biscuit. I tried both. Ham biscuits have always been one of my favorite foods, but it doesn’t take much for them to be ruined, having too much sauce, too salty ham, or just a bad biscuit. I was skeptical about trying Supper Club’s versions, but I am glad I did.

After taking the ham biscuits out of the oven, I took a bite, and my mouth was filled with buttery goodness. The bun that the ham rested between was perfectly coated in butter on both sides and not too fluffy or overpowering. The bread-to-ham ratio was almost perfect, but I would have preferred a little bit more ham per biscuit, and for that reason, I rate the ham biscuits a 9.5/10.

Supper Club’s chicken salad. Photo credit: Anna Grace Shaia.

After the ham biscuits, I tried the chicken salad. Supper Club offers chicken salad and premade chicken salad croissants. I decided to only try the chicken salad. The chicken salad was tasty, a classic dish. The fine shredded chicken mixed with the mayonnaise had a smooth texture, while the celery gave a nice crunch to the salad. Unlike the other foods I tried from Supper Club, the chicken salad did not have a strong flavor, but it was a great, simple dish. I rate this chicken salad a 9.5/10. Alex Thalhimer (’23) agrees that the chicken salad is one of the best items at Supper Club, ranking it in her top three favorite items. 

Lastly, I had to try a monster cookie. When walking into the store, the dessert section is hard to miss, because it is the first thing you’ll see at the front. This cookie was a holiday special, as it was Halloween-themed, with monster eyes, green, orange, and purple M&Ms, oatmeal, and pretzels.  Supper Club offers many different dessert choices, such as oatmeal and chocolate whoopie pies, an assortment of different cookies, and Pearl’s cake pops. The monster cookie was delicious. It was chewy, chocolaty, and had the perfect amount of crunch from the pretzels and M&Ms. I rate this cookie a 10/10. 

Supper Club is a great quick and easy choice for grabbing delicious homemade food. They have so much to offer, including a butcher, selling freshly cut meat, fish, and cheese. I would recommend giving Supper Club a try.